Off the Pitch: African Philanthropy Comes Into Its Own

July 13, 2010

Never before have the eyes of the world been so focused on the continent of Africa. On Sunday, seven hundred million people viewed the 2010 World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain from Soccer City in Johannesburg, while throughout a month's worth of earlier matches, millions more were introduced to the prowess of national teams from Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Algeria.

What viewers didn't get to see, however, are the first real signs of an emergent and vibrant civil society in many of Africa's fifty-three nations. That's a shame, because in my two trips to Africa this year, I've witnessed firsthand how nongovernmental organizations and philanthropic foundations are reshaping the continent's social and economic landscape.

In Nigeria, the continent's most populous nation, a momentous event in the history of organized giving on the continent occurred in January when the TY Danjuma Foundation opened its doors. What made the occasion particularly noteworthy is the source of wealth behind the foundation.

General T.Y. Danjuma, a highly regarded statesman and successful Nigerian businessman, gave a substantial portion of his own net worth to establish the foundation. And while the foundation, whose mission is "to enhance the quality of life of Nigerians by supporting initiatives that improve access to health and educational opportunities," bears his name, he chose to create it as an independent (as opposed to family) foundation, with Thelma Ekiyor, the founding director of the West Africa Civil Society Institute, serving as executive director. Although other foundations have emerged on the continent in recent years, few have been financed solely by home-grown wealth, and even fewer have the resources -- or ambition -- of the Danjuma Foundation.

Another good example of the phenomenon is the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which was established in 2006. The Ibrahim Foundation is committed to "supporting great African leadership that will improve the economic and social prospects of the people of Africa." Its donor, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, is a Sudanese-born mobile communications entrepreneur, and the foundation is best known for annually awarding -- or not -- the Ibrahim Prize to a democratically elected former African head of state or government who has demonstrated leadership that improves the prospects of people on the continent.

The arrival on the scene of the Danjuma and Ibrahim foundations is emblematic of a renewed spirit of reciprocity on the continent. After centuries of colonialism that did little more than rob Africa of its wealth and fifty fraught years of independence, Africans of means are now giving back to their countries in ways that couldn't have been imagined ten years ago.

Trust Africa executive director Akwasi Aidoo noted that the intent behind the network's creation was to "change the narrative of Africa as helpless and hapless, tilt the balance of stories, and increase the visibility and knowledge of [philanthropy on the continent]." It's off to a great start, as are the organizations mentioned in this post (and many others). Indeed, from the six national teams that appeared in this year's World Cup competition to the dozens of communities across the continent that are benefiting from home-grown philanthropy, Africa is moving quickly to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with in the twenty-first century.

Readers may also like to know that the African Grantmakers Network will convene the 1st Pan-African Grantmakers' Assembly from 3–5 November 2010 in Nairobi. To join the network, or register for the assembly, visit AGN's website: www.africangrantmakers.org.

Also, the network is currently recruiting a Coordinator. The job description is available on the AGN website here.

Thanks to both Marianne and Christopher for your postings! There is a real momentum building in civil society organizations throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and it is great to see interest in that development.

This is a great article, I heard many of the points that you made in this article being made by my Ghanian colleagues when I lived in Accra last year. As they say in Twi.....Kakrakakra...." little by little change is gonna come " We need to hear more about the challenges and opportunities facing foundations like the ones you mentioned above.